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Building a Dog House: Part One

July 10, 2012

Finally the time has come for Dad (thats you), to build the dog a doghouse this summer. For about $100-$250 bucks Toolup.com has the solution, five easy steps and you can be out of the proverbial doghouse in a couple of days, and Sparky can begin to spend some more time outdoors.

Step One:

As you begin, be sure not to buy pressurized wood as it has toxins that are dangerous and sometimes fatal to animals, also determine the size of your dogs house by giving Sparky enough room to stand up and be able to make a full 350 degree turn, comfortably and with two dog bowls; one each for his food and water.

Now once you have the dimensions measured that will fit your dogs size, construct a square based frame with 2 x 4′s, use a nail gun such as the Grip-Rite 16 Gauge 1″-2-1/2″ Finish gun GRTFN250 to nail the boards together at the corners. Then use your tape measure to correctly measure and cut exactly a 1/2″ piece of plywood that will fit over the frame. While doing this make sure it’s completely flush with the base frame’s edges, and attach the plywood right onto the frame along the edges with the nail gun.

Step Two:

To construct the side and rear wall frames, once again use 2 x 4 boards, and be carful to include a center stud for support. Start out by cutting the studs to the predetermined length, dry-fit them, and nail them together. Be aware that with the rear wall, the center stud should be 2 inches off-center, this will allow access later for securing the roof strut. Build the front wall frame with 2 x 4 boards, omitting the center stud, this will allow room for the doghouse’s entrance. Once again measure and cut your wood, then nail 1/2″ plywood to the outside of all four of the wall frames, edges should be flush. With a jig saw, cut out sparky’s entrance hole, making sure it is the appropriate size for his breed to pass easily through. Place the finished walls onto the wood base frame and nail them into place from the bottom of the wall frame, then finish this step by toenail-ing the corners for additional stability.